Donald Shoup and the Real Cost of Parking

April 19, 2017

Donald Shoup, Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA, on parking: “Just because the driver doesn’t pay for parking doesn’t mean the cost goes away. A little bit of every daily transaction has a little bit shaved off to pay for parking. It’s the single biggest land use in any city.”

Indicators such as income, car ownership, density, government employment, and the difference between drive and transit times to the central business district (CBD) predict a higher share of auto commuting by Park Slope residents. Yet Jackson Heights residents are 45% more likely to drive to work in the Manhattan CBD and 28% more likely to commute by car in general.